Can it take a year or more to lose the last bit of belly fat

I've always had some belly fat my whole life. Now that I am strict to clean eating and exercise it is slowly going away - with me lowering my overall body fat percentage as well

I've always had some belly fat my whole life. Now that I am strict to clean eating and exercise it is slowly going away - with me lowering my overall body fat percentage as well

Congrats on the weight loss. But the loss of belly fat has less to do with your 'clean' eating and more to do with the calorie deficit and exercise.

You say calorie deficit , do you mean less than your maintenance amount? And has anyone found a percentage that works? For me, I think that last bit of belly fat is about 40 years old. Maybe our oldest fat dies harder? (lol)

Many people say it always takes 2-3 months to lose the fat,etc but its taking me many months, is it possible it might even take a year or more to lose it?
Im 142 lbs

Hi.

I keep reading a lot of incomplete information on this site and a lot of pounding in the idea that the only thing that matters in weight loss is your calorie deficit. That's true, only to a certain extent. This is a good little introduction to the concept and the fact that you have different types of fat being stored in your body (and in different places): http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-fat

What this fails to mention is that you burn off different types of fat at different speeds. Normally, you have more white fat than brown and you carry more white fats higher in the body (upper torso, breast, neck, arms, etc) - which is where we first start to lose notable weight. Brown fats are usually carried around the abdomen, buttocks and thigh - and this fat is harder to burn off. This is why one of the first things women will notice about losing weight is smaller breasts and less double-chins!

Belly weight loss will also depend on whether or not the 'fat' in your belly is actually adipose (fat) tissue, or if it's fascia (aerolar connective tissue) that has been stretched beyond it elasticity permits. Have you had children? Did you once weigh a significant amount more than you do now, which may have caused your skin to stretch so it appears 'fat' when it's actually extra connective tissue?

If it's connective tissue that's lost its elasticity, it will not respond to any sort of standard weight loss technique. If you're fighting to burn off the last little bit of brown fat, I would recommend that you continue doing what you're doing in terms of diet & any cardio exercises you are already doing, but add some core strengthening exercises to it. Increasing muscle mass helps burn fat tissue surrounding the muscle at a quicker pace.

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I'll put a note here to make clear that I am certified in health and nutrition and I hold a diploma in registered massage therapy from British Columbia Canada (one of the most comprehensive programs, inclusive of anatomy & physiology, kinesiology, health, nutrition and therapeutic exercises in the world). I have paid to understand this sort of thing thoroughly, and I get paid to share it with my clients on a daily basis. I feel it's necessary to make this clear as I've made a few comments on the MFP forums and people don't seem to want to hear anything other than the regular 'it's all about the calorie deficit'.